The fishing of sardines, herring, and mackerel in the Visayan Sea is prohibited starting tomorrow, Nov. 15, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 6 said.
BFAR 6 regional director Remia Aparri yesterday led the launching of the Visayan Sea Closed Season campaign dubbed “𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗮 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻: 𝗡𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗴𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗵𝘂𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗮𝘆”, in partnership with the local government unit of Banate in Iloilo province.
The closed season will last for three months, or until Feb. 15, 2021. Species not permitted for catching, selling, and buying only include sardines, herring (tamban/tabagak/tamban-tuloy/balantiong), and mackerel (hasa-hasa/ gumaa/ bulao/alumahan), the BFAR 6 said in a statement.
It added that the areas of closure in Western Visayas include northern Negros, covering the towns of EB Magalona and Manapla, and the cities of Victorias, Sagay, Cadiz, and Escalante; northern Iloilo, from Barotac Nuevo, Anilao, Banate, Barotac Viejo, Ajuy, Concepcion, San Dionisio, Batad, Estancia, Balasan, and Carles; and part of Capiz, including Roxas City, Pilar, Pontevedra, President Roxas, and Panay.
The Island of Bantayan in Central Visayas and parts of Masbate are also covered by the closed season, based on Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 167-3 series of 2013, that provides the legal basis for the closed season in the Visayan Sea to ensure the conservation of sardines, herring, and mackerel in the Visayan Sea.
At the launching, Aparri urged not only the fisherfolk but also students, teachers, and other members of the community to actively participate in the management and protection of the Visayan Sea.
As a vast fishing ground, the Visayan Sea is surrounded by the 33 cities and municipalities of the provinces of Negros Occidental, Capiz, Iloilo, Cebu, and Masbate.
As a vital resource, it is home to hectares upon hectares of corals, mangroves, seagrasses, and marine protected areas. But it is also vulnerable and threatened by cases of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and increasing marine debris, the BFAR said.
Aparri said that now more than ever, our sea needs rest.
The agriculture and fisheries sectors proved to be the most important during these trying times of the pandemic and natural disaster. These sectors provided and keep providing us our primary need – food, she added in a statement.
In the Third Quarter 2020 Performance of Philippine Agriculture, released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) last week, it showed that fisheries registered a 1.9 percent output growth.
“It contributed 15.8 percent to the total agricultural production. Higher production growths were noted for bigeye tuna at 39.9 percent; Bali sardinella, 31.5 percent; and blue crab at 25.5 percent”, the report said.
The 2020 Second Quarter Regional Economic Situationer of the National Economic and Development Authority in Western Visayas showed that commercial fishery production increased by 21.85 percent, from 14,593 metric tons in 2019 to 17,781 metric tons in the second quarter of 2020.
“Agriculture and fisheries, in particular, are seen as the major sectors that will tide the population with reliable food and food-related products”, NEDA 6 said in its development outlook for the third quarter, that is expected to be released next month.
Meanwhile, BFAR 6 also launched the Visayan Sea Closed Season campaigns, “Ang Pahuway sang Baybay” and “Bantay Visayan Sea” to strengthen its call for everybody to take part in safeguarding the sea.
“As stakeholders, we enjoin everyone to take part in Bantay Visayan Sea while it takes its much deserved rest,” Aparri said.
The song “Pahuway Sang Baybay” is an original musical composition of the University of the Philippines High School in Iloilo faculty members, Hermie Cartagena and Early Sol Gadong. It kicked off the launch of the 2019 Visayan Sea Closed Fishing Season on Nov. 14, 2019. – CGC
